Ukrainian drones targeted several Russian energy facilities overnight on 14 December, triggering explosions, fires, evacuations, and power outages, according to local sources. The strikes targeted an oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, an oil depot in Volgograd Oblast, and likely another refinery in Yaroslavl.

Afipsky refinery hit in Krasnodar Krai

Strike drones attacked the Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+, citing local residents, said explosions occurred near the facility during the attack. Russian news Telegram channel Astra also reported blasts in the refinery area during the drone strike on energy infrastructure. Videos, shared by the channels, show explosions at the facility.

After the explosions, power outages hit several city districts. Local explanations linked the blackout to the refinery’s role as a key infrastructure hub that provides electricity transit, water supply, and wastewater treatment for nearby settlements and industrial facilities. 

The Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters claimed that drone debris fell at two addresses in Afipsky settlement, but no residents were injured. Debris allegedly sparked a fire in the yard of a detached residence. In another case, fragments shattered windows in a private home. Later updates from local authorities stated debris damaged several more homes in the same village.

Due to its strategic importance, Ukrainian drones have targeted the Afipsky refinery repeatedly. On 29 November, a previous strike hit the facility, which satellite imagery later confirmed by showing scorched areas and explosion marks inside the refinery’s production perimeter.

Due to its strategic importance, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted the Afipsky refinery, including a 29 November 2025 strike later confirmed by satellite images showing scorch marks and blast traces inside the facility.

Oil depot struck in Volgograd Oblast

Ukrainian drones also attacked an oil depot in Uryupinsk, Volgograd Oblast, Astra reported. Local residents reported explosions and a fire at the site. Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrei Bocharov later confirmed the attack, saying drone "debris" caused a fire at the oil depot.

According to the governor’s statement, no injuries were reported.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces later confirmed strikes on both the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai and the Uryupinsk oil depot in Volgograd Oblast, reporting explosions and fires at both sites, with damage still being assessed.

Yaroslavl refinery likely hit again

A refinery operated by Slavneft-YANOS in Yaroslavl was likely attacked again, Astra reported, citing readers and local Telegram channels. Air raid alerts sounded in the city before the reported strike. The same refinery previously came under drone attack in the early hours of 12 December.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s reports did not include Volgograd Oblast, where the Uryupinsk oil depot caught fire.

Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian oil refinery in the early hours of 12 December, hitting the Slavneft-YANOS facility in the city of Yaroslavl and igniting a large fire, footage shared by local residents shows. Located more than 700 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, the refinery is one of the largest in Russia by capacity and serves critical industrial and defense sectors.

Fire breaks out at one of Russia’s largest oil refineries

The drone attack reportedly targeted the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, according to Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+. The strike led to a large-scale fire at the site, with local residents reporting a series of explosions just after 3 a.m. According to Russian news Telegram channel Astra, people living near the facility heard five to seven blasts and saw flashes over the city. Many also described hearing an engine noise in the sky shortly before the fire broke out.

Yaroslavl governor Mikhail Yevrayev had declared a drone threat warning in the oblast earlier that night. Social media posts and videos shared shortly after the incident showed a thick column of smoke rising from the refinery grounds.

This refinery is one of the top five in Russia in terms of primary oil refining capacity and processes up to 15 million tons of crude per year. The Slavneft-YANOS plant produces a broad range of petroleum products, including automobile gasoline, jet fuel, and lubricants.

Later, Exilenova+ reported that the strike likely hit the AVT-4 primary oil distillation unit at the Yaroslavl refinery, noting that a VT-6 vacuum distillation unit at roughly the same location had recently been disabled during a modernization process.

Strategic value of the refinery and its consumers

As noted by Militarnyi, the refinery’s output is critical for Russia’s internal infrastructure. Its products are supplied to major industrial enterprises across the Central and Northwestern oblasts of Russia. Among the known consumers are regional airports, the Northern Railway administration, and defense-related facilities tied to the military-industrial complex.

The Yaroslavl strike marks the second reported attack on this facility in recent months. A similar drone attack reportedly caused a fire at the same refinery on 31 October.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on the morning of 12 December that its air defenses had allegedly shot down 90 drones overnight across Russian regions.